Here are 10 things I learned from watching the first episode of the 10th season of “American Idol.”

1. What changes? For all the ballyhoo about how significantly different this season would be, especially without Simon Cowell, the show wasn’t very different from other seasons.

2. So far, I like Steven Tyler. I was really skeptical about Aerosmith front man Tyler, fearing he’d be a cheesy, know-nothing, say-nothing rock star judge. But what I really liked about Tyler’s first show was that he was honest. He wasn’t the meanest, he wasn’t the nicest, but except for Cowell, Tyler is the shows most honest judge. I very much admire that. Ellen Degeneres found out how hard that is. Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul never did get it. Kara DioGuardi was dishonest in trying to be harsh when she didn’t know what she was talking about. I think Tyler’s honesty will help fill the void left by the departure of Simon Cowell. Tyler also is very, very funny. Ellen Degeneres tried to be funny but wasn’t. Tyler is a natural.

3. So far, I don’t hate J. Lo yet. I thought I would immediately hate Jennifer Lopez. I don’t – yet. She didn’t do anything great, but she also didn’t do anything repulsive like Kara DioGuardi, who pretended to cry. She’s a lot closer to Paula Abdul than I expected, but it’s still early.

Devon Rush singing at The Stockton Inn in Stockton, N.J.

4. New Hope contestant Devyn Rush, the singing waitress, looks strong. Internet chatter immediately focused on the Philadelphia born Rush as a contender. But don’t think Rush is a novice. An online biography says she’s been doing commercials and print work since age 6 months. She’s performed at Lincoln Center and off- Broadway. She’s been on television’s "Law and Order,” "Gossip Girl" and on PAX TV's "America's Most Talented Kids." She’s been in commercials, print ads, and voice-overs, including some for Nickelodeon TV. She sings at a piano bar at Bob Egan’s Pub in New Hope and has performed in her own Cabaret show. In October 2009, she performed at Active Acres Haunted Farm in Newtown.

5. The show still focuses too much on the bad. The show still had too many of the freak show performers. Yoji “Pop” Asano, who sang Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA,” was an attempt to be this year’s “Pants on the Ground.” Honestly, if these people are this bad, how did they get to the THIRD round of auditions unless the show purposely wants to present bad singers.

6. But it let through some interesting choices. “American Idol” has been really bland the past few years (Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen, David Cook) and it has hurt the show. But on the first show, the judges let through some interesting choices. Caleb Hawley, 25, was raw and rough, but good. Tiffany Rios, 21, who wore a bra with stars on it, was rough but pretty good, too. I’m encouraged that they’re looking beyond the bland.

7. The show is deceptive. The “New Jersey/New York” auditions were falsely presented as contemporaneous. For example, shots of the judges arriving were juxtaposed with shots of the crowd at Izod Center. And narration by show host Ryan Seacrest had lines such as, “It’s mid-afternoon in Jersey City and while people have been waiting since last night, the energy outside the auditorium is still pumpin’. The contestants can’t wait for face time with our new judges.” Later, Seacrest referred to “Day 2” of the auditions while it showed scenes of Izod. But there was no second day at Izod, and the new judges weren’t even chose till six week later.

8. Unless somebody auditioned in another area, we’re not going to have a Lehigh Valley contestant. And maybe that happened. After all, last year’s Valley representative, Tyler Grady of Nazareth, auditioned in New England. But it’s looking like Devyn Rush will have the local attention.

9. I already miss Simon Cowell. Yes, I said Steven Tyler makes up for some of the loss ofCowell, but not nearly all of it. Cowell had gravitas – industry cred. He really had made pop stars. He knew what he was talking about, wasn’t afraid to say it, and almost always was right. It’s going to take a lot to make up for that.

10. I’ll continue watching. Yeah, true, I would anyway – it’s part of my jobs – but the first episode of the new season wasn’t bad enough to turn me off of the show forever – yet. But apparently there’s more change coming, and a lot more auditions.

Current Comments

"6. But it let through some interesting choices. “American Idol” has been really bland the past few years (Lee DeWyze, Kris Allen, David Cook)"

Well I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. David Cook is far from boring. Apparently you have never been to one of his concerts and are just spouting the standard idol PR crap. TPTB ruined the show not the contestants. It became about the judges and not the singing. Now they want to trash the past winners. Sad.

Posted By: Kelly | Jan 20, 2011 10:30:35 AM

David Cook was FAR from bland in Season 7. You must have him confused with your favorite, David Archuleta. LOL Cook mixed it up every week and kept it interesting!

Posted By: Laura | Jan 20, 2011 7:48:17 PM

This will be interesting, finally judges will be actual stars... Love Jennifer Lopez, she´ll for sure make it fun﻿ to watch and she has an eye for business, she will for sure pick the best of the best. Tyler´s a really cool addition too!!!

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Fox’s “Idol” has quite literally produced some of THE idols of the century, (think Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry and of course the Golden Globe and SAG award-winner Jennifer Hudson). I think a lot of why I like Idol better is because the singers are competing for themselves rather than the judges, and the singers are typically true amateurs.

It's best fit as passive, ultimately forgettable recreation for a preadolescent audience with no other life concern except perhaps their schoolwork. The final irony is that all of the "American Idols" picked by the judges and the viewers, with the possible exception of Carrie Underwood, have sooner or later vanished from the formerly adoring public eye that created them!